Tin plating and polishing machine



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N. D. LEWIS. TIN PLATING AND POLISHING MACHINE.

No. 597,778. Patented Jan. 25, I898.

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N. D. LEWIS.

TIN PLATING AND POLISHING MACHINE.

No. 597,778. Patented Jan. 25, 1898.

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TIN PLATING AND POLISHING MACHINE. No. 597,778. Patented Jan. 25, 1898.

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UNITED STATES NATHANIEL D. LEWIS,

FETCH P TENT or 'JOLIET, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,778, dated January25, 1898.

Application filed April 6, 1897. Serial No! 631,003. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL D. LEWIS, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Joliet, in the county of Will and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TinPlating and Polishing Machines, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings,and the letters and figures of reference thereon, forming a part of thisspecification, and in which- Fignre 1 is a top plan of the apparatus,omitting the transfer-frame and its mechanism, above line H H of Figs. 4and 5. Figs. 2 and'3 are enlarged views of the cam-and-lever mechanismfor operating the rack located inthe pot for receiving the plates. Fig.4 is a side elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 5 is a central longitudinalsection of the apparatus. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional elevationof the apparatus, taken approximately on lines E E of Fig. 5, looking inthe direction of the arrow and showing a cross-rack mechanism located tothe left of said line. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing one end portionof one of the magnet carriers or conveyers, a portion being broken awayto show its interior soft-iron core and wire coil surrounding said core,and showing its journal carried in an insulated box of one of theendless sprocketchains, and showing a spring-plunger of said journal inelectric contact with a contactplate of the machine to make the electriccircuit. Fig. 8 is a detail View showinga crosssection of one of themagnets and looking toward the lower part of one of the contactplatesfor engaging a spring-plunger in the journal of said magnet. Viewshowing the side of one end of one of the magnets and showing itsjournal provided with a springplunger for contact with one of thecontact-plates of the machine. Fig. 10 is a side view of a section ofone of the endlesscarrier sprocket-chains, showing one of its insulatedboxes; and Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a portion of the lowerpart of the tinning-pot and showing the rack mechanism for receivingplates and the tilting mechanism for tilting forward plates to thegripping-rolls.

This invention relates to certain improve ments in an apparatus forautomatically coat- Fig. 9 is a detail The object of this invention isto combine mechanism for use in the manufacture of tin and terne platesso that the operation of conveying the plates to the tinning-pot, ofdipping the plates into the molten metal in said pot, of dischargingthem from said potand passing them through compression-rolls, oftransferring them to a polishing device, and of polishing and finallydischarging them from the apparatus becomes automatic, and so that theapparatus may be attended by unskilled labor, and thus cheapen ing theproduction of tin and terne plates.

. Referring to the drawings, 0 represents a pair ofendless-sprocket-chain carriers for carrying the plates P to be tinnedand mounted, respectively, on sprocket-wheels '7 and 8, secured,respectively, on shafts 5 and 6, the shaft 5 being jonrnaled in properboxes on the upper ends of the standards 3, and the shaft 6 beingjournaled in proper boxes on the upper ends of the brackets 4,attachedto the side of the pct 12 for holding the molten tinningmaterial. A pair of guide-tables 1 1 are located, one on either side ofthe said endlesschain carriers 9, and are secured on the crossbeams 2 2.Said tables are curved downward at their inner ends, as shown at 2', soas to extend down a distance into the pct 12 to form guides for theplate to be tinned. The shaft 6 has secured on it a pair of cam-wheels68, located, respectively, one next the outer side of the boxes of saidshaft, andhas also secured on ita pair of cam-wheels 69, one arrangednext the inner side of the boxes of said shaft, as shown in Fig. l. Thecam-wheels 68 respec tively bear upon their upper part the arms 22through the medium of their wrist-rollers 70, as shown particularly inFigs. 1 and 2. The inner ends of said arms are pivotally connected tobrackets 4 at one side of said cams, while their opposite or outer endsare connected to a rack 18, located in the tinningpot 12, as shownparticularly in Figs. 1, 5, and 6, through the medium of the links 2020. Rotation of the cams 68 will oscillate arms 22 and through theirconnection with said rack 18 will cause said rack to have V81" ticalmovement in the tinning-pot 12. A

similar pair of arms 23 23, arranged next the inner sides of the boxesof shaft 6 and piv.,

otally connected at their inner ends to the brackets 4, rest upon theupper part of the, cams 69, respectively, through the medium of theirwrist-rollers 71, as shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 3. The outer endsof said arms 23 23 are respectively connected with the cranks 49 49 of arock-shat t 47, located in the pct 12, as shown particularly in Figs. 1,5,

and 6. Said rock-shaft is provided with a series of fingers 48. Rotationof the cams 69 will cause vibration of said fingers for the purpose ofbearing against the side of a plate P to betinnedwhen it is resting inthe car-. riage or rack 18, as shown in Fig. 5, to throw its upperpartover, so when rack 18 moves upward the plate P will be'directed by aguide 17 to the train of grip-rolls 14.

The drive-shaft is shown at 58 and has secured on it the drive-pulley62, a worm 59, and a gear-wheel 63, that meshes with gearwheel 64 onshaft 65 for, driving the polishing-wheels D. I

53, is a shaft for driving the gripping-rolls 1a through the medium ofthe train of gears 51, as shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 6.

Said shaft has secured on it the Worm-wheel 54 for meshing with worm 59on shaft 58 and has also secured on its outer end the sprocketwheels and56, the sprocket-wheel 56 being connected with a sprocket-wheel 11 onthe outer extending end of shaft 6 and the sprocket wheel 55 beingconnected with sprocket-wheel 57 on the outer end of shaft 28, whichdrives the endless chains 29, 'carry ing the electromagnets 30.

14 are a set of gripping-rolls that receive the plate P as it is carriedupward out of the pot 1.2 by the rack 18 and bring it into contact withone of the electromagnets 30, carried by the endless chains 29, whichelectromagnets attract the plates sufficiently to carry them over to thepolishing devices. Said endless chains 29 are carried on sprocket-wheels27, journaled on studs of transfer-frame 24, and on sprocket-wheels 27,secured on shaft 28, by which shaft said endless chains are driven. Theelectromagnets 30 are carried by said chains 29 and are constructed ofmetal tubes closed at each end by means of heads 34, having extendingjournals 31 fitting boXes in said chains. Said boxes are provided withbushings forming insulators 80, (shown in Figs. 7 and 10,) in which saidjournals 31 are boXedfor the purpose of insulating said journals fromthe said chains 29, said journals being screw-threaded on their innerendsso as to screw into an insulation-thimble 35, as shown in Fig. '7,so as to insulate them from the electromagnets 30. Said magnets are'provided with a central longitudinal soft-iron core 36, around which isplaced a coil of wire the two ends of which are respectively connectedthrough the medium of the insulated wires 37 with the magnetjournals, asshown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9. The journals 31 of said magnets 30 are boredout on their outer ends for a short distance for the reception of aspring-plunger 32, seated on a coil-spring 33, which plunger is intendedto have contact with the insulated guide-frames 25, secured to thetransfenframe 24: by means of insulatin'g-studs 39, assho'wn in Fig. '7.The coilsprings 33 springpress said plungers out against saidguide-frame for the purpose of closing the electric circuit through saidmagnets 30 While said plungers are in contact with said guide-frame, andthe said guide- ,frame is of suchform, as shown in Fig. 5, that saidplungers are in contact therewith con stantly except when crossing thelower part of transfer-frame25. The lower ends of said guideframe 25 arerespectively connected with the wire 40, which forms the line-wireleading to some source of electric supply. The plates P in their descentat the rear of the transfer-frame 24'engage a tilting guide 42 (shown inFig. 5 and also in Fig. 1) for conducting theloweredge of the sheet intoperipheral catches on the polishing-wheels D, which in their revolutionpass the sheet through polishing material. The said polishing-wheels'andthe polishing material being old, no further description of them isdeemed necessary.

If desired, thepolishing devices may be omitted altogether, as themachine is operative for the purpose of tinning and transferring theplates to a table or any other kind of polishing devices, if necessary,so that the polishing devices are not really a part of this inventionwhen it is not desired to polish the sheets.

The electromagnets 30, instead of being made of tubes, as shown, may bemade of any other devices so they will perform the service shown. It isintended that said electromagnets shall not rotate" so as to drop theplate. 'Oneof theirjournals may be made of such formth'at it will notrotate. .The magnets 30 are magnetized by induction from the coil 38,which for'ins'a part of'the circuit.

In operation power is applied to the bandwheel 62 on shaft 58, whichthrough its connection with the other shafts 65, 53, and 6 drives allthe parts of the machine. The plates to be tinned and polished are firstplaced on the endless. carrier-chains 9 abut- 'ting their cross-bars 10and so their sides lie upontlie tables 1, as shown in Fig. 1. They arecarried forward over the downwardlycui-ved ends 2 of said tables untilthey drop into the rack 18 19, which at that time is intended to beabove the position in which it is shown in Fig. 5 as far as thecam-andlever mechanism 20 22 68 will elevate it. Descent of said rack tothe position shown in Fig. 1 causes the plate to be immersed in thetinning material in the pot 12, which pot is intended to have a furnaceunder it to melt the material in it. The lower edge of the plate P isintended to stand between and be said rack, While its upper end isintended to I be engaged. by the fingers 48 of rock-shaft e7 to throw itover, so when it is moved upward it will pass under the guide 17 and beconducted to the gripping-rolls 14, by means of which it is carried tothe electromagnets and by them is carried over to be delivered to thepolishing devices, as stated, and after going through the polishingprocess be delivered from the machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

1. In a machine for automatically coating tin and terne plates, thecombination of an endless carrier for conducting the plate to thetinning-pot, the tinning-pot, a rack arranged within said pot and themeans for operating said rack to immerse said plate in the tinningmaterial and for delivering it to a train of grippingrolls, theoscillating fingers arranged in said pot above said rack and means foroperating said fingers to tilt the plate forward, the train ofgripping-rolls for receiving the plate from said rack, the electromagnetarranged to receive the plate from said rolls and consisting of the tubehaving a central soft-iron core surrounded by a Wire coil forintermittently magnetizing said magnet, the endless-chaincarriers forcarrying said magnets, and the polishing devices all arranged to operatesubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a machine for automatically coating tin and terne plates, thecombination of the tinning devices, a carrier having a series of magnetsarranged to successively come in contact With the plate or sheet andconvey it to the point of delivery, and the means for demagnetizing saidmagnets to cause them to drop the plates substantially as and forpurpose set forth.

3. In a machine for automatically coating tin and terne plates, thecombination of the carrier having a series of magnets, for receiving theplate from the tinning-pot, the tinning-pot and its plate-deliveringdevices arranged forward of and in position to deliver plates to themagnets, the polishing devices arranged at the rear of saidmagnetcarrier andin position to receive plates therefrom, and the meansfor demagnetizing said magnets all arranged to operate substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

4. In a machine for automatically coating tin and terne plates, thecombination of the endless carrier-chains 9 arranged to convey plates tothe tinning-pot, guide-tables lhaving their inner ends curved downwardinto the pot and arranged With said carrier-chains between them, thetinning-pot 12, the reciprocating rack 18, 19 arranged in the lower partof said pot, the tilting rack 47, 48 arranged in said pot immediatelyabove rack 18, 19, the means for operating said racks, the compressionfeed-rolls 14 arranged in the upper part of said pot above said racks,the guide 17 for guiding plates to said rolls, the carrier having aseries of magnets 36, and the means for demagnetizing said magnets allarranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a machine for automatically coating tin and terne plates thecombination of the tinning-pot 12, the endless carrier-chains 9 arrangedto deliver plates to said pot, shafts 5 and 6 for carrying said chains,cams 68 and 69 arranged on shaft 6, rack 18, 19 arranged in the lowerpart of said pot, arms 22 resting between their ends on cams 68, links20 for connecting the outer free ends of said arms and said rack, arms23 resting between their ends on cams 69, rock-shaft 47 arranged in saidpot above rack 18, 19, and having fingers 4:8, and having cranks 49links 21 for connecting the outer free end of arms 23 with said cranks.49 all arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

6. In amachine for coating tin and terne plates, the combination of thetinning-pot, the means for passing plates into and out of said pot, thecarriers having a series of magnets arranged to receive the plates fromthe pot and conduct them to the point of delivery, and the means fordemagnetizing said magnets, all arranged to operate substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

NATHANIEL D. LEWVIS.

Witnesses:

F. T. JENKINS, D. Tnnvon LEWIs.

